Dying We Live
by sharpfeng
Summary: Set after the shooting episode. How is everyone dealing with keith and jimmy's death? What will become of the ones who survive? Major Brucas. COMPLETE!
1. Have You Heard the News?

Brooke had just heard the news. Jimmy had shot Keith right in the heart. Keith was gone…forever. She wept bitterly, burying her head in her pillow. _Why? Jimmy Edwards? That geeky kid from her English class? There was no way! This must be a nightmare_, she thought. At that moment her Pink RAZ-R rang again. She bit her lip when she saw the caller ID. It was Lucas. She flipped the phone open.

"Hey." Brooke said.

"Hey." Lucas said.

_Awkward pause_

Lucas took a deep breath. "Have you been to see Peyton?"

"Yeah, she's gonna be OK. Thank God, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I was the one that lost her through all the mass chaos. It was like, totally my fault." As Brooke said this, she wondered why Lucas hadn't said anything about Keith yet.

"Actually, speaking of faults, if it's anyone's, it would be mine." Lucas said.

"What? Why do you say that?"

"Brooke."

"Ya?"

"Have you heard?"

Brooke felt the tears welling up again. She knew what he was talking about, but she asked him anyway. "Heard what?"

"About…" Lucas didn't finish.

Brooke didn't know what to say. She tried to say something. Anything for Lucas. "Lucas, why don't you come over?'

_Another awkward pause._

"Umm…OK. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"I love you. A lot. You're amazing. You're the best. I love you. So much." Brooke said in a teary voice. _God, I sounded retarded._

"I love you too, Brooke."

_Ding Dong! _Brooke ran up to the door and opened it. "Hi." She stepped towards Lucas and placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Lucas kissed her back again. "You look great." Brooke laughed at this. She was wearing a pink Juicy sweatsuit and hadn't put on hardly any makeup or straightened her hair. But Lucas always thought she looked great, no matter what.

Brooke got Lucas a bottle of Sunkist from the fridge. They sat down on the couch.

"This is kind of surreal, huh?" Lucas asked. He had his arm around Brooke, and she was laying on the couch leaning against him.

"Tell me about it. I mean, everything about it is just so screwed up. I've always seen things like that on TV, but who could ever imagine that it would happen in real life? Well, at least no one was killed." _Damn it! Why did I just say that? _Brooke remembered: Keith. She tried to halfway smile.

"You didn't hear?" Lucas's voice came out all throaty.

"Umm…actually, yeah I did." _Wow, brilliant, Brooke!_

"Oh." Lucas said.

Brooke had never felt more stupid in her life. At once, she broke down. Tears streamed down her face, and she lifted her head off of Lucas's chest and sat up, facing him.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I'm acting completely retarded, it's just I don't really know what to say, but I'm really sorry about Keith and if there's anything I can do just tell me, because I'll do whatever you need me to do, even if it requires me to donate a limb, just—OK, sorry, I'll shut up now." By now, Lucas was about to cry, but he wouldn't. He was a guy.

"Brooke. It's OK." Lucas said softly. He stroked her hair for a few seconds. "Come here." He held out his arms. Brooke fell into them immediately, burying her head in his shoulder. He held her tightly against him.

The entire day, she had been trying to think of what to say to Lucas. And once again, he solved the problem for her. Lucky girl.


	2. How to Honor Keith

Thanks so much to my reviewers! I love getting reviews!

It was the day of Keith's funeral. Lucas, Brooke, Nathan, Mouth, and Haley all drove over to the hospital to pick up Peyton. "Ehmagawd! Peyton!" Brooke yelled as soon as they saw her. She was doing much better, and was able to walk with crutches. Peyton was sitting down on the couch, waiting for the gang. Brooke sat down next to her and squeezed her around the neck so hard, Peyton had trouble breathing. "All right, Brooke. Don't suffocate me!" Everyone laughed. "OK, we gotta go," Lucas said while checking his watch. "Keith is waiting for us."

Later, at Keith's funeral, Lucas walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat, and began. "For those of you who didn't know, Keith Scott was going to become my father. The adoption papers had already been signed. But you know what? Papers or no papers, I still think that in every respect, he was my real father. He was. And the way my father died was not an accident, or a coincidence. His death was not in vain. He died in honor. I am proud to stand up here today and say 'My dad died to save someone else."

Mouth interlocked fingers with Rachel on one side, and Brooke on the other. Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand, who grabbed Nathan's, who held Haley's hand tightly. They held on, not daring to let go.

Lucas put his hands on the podium to steady himself. He looked down at Brooke's face, tears running down her cheeks. He looked at his brother (Nathan), his best friend (Haley), and everyone else who knew Keith. Peyton…Mouth…his mom…Whitey…Dan. And he knew he must continue.

"As you all know, unfortunately, Keith was unable to save a life in time. And that day, one of my best friends, Jimmy Edwards, also had to leave us." Lucas looked bittersweet right when he said that, and of course, everyone understood why. Lucas hated what Jimmy had done, but he couldn't hate Jimmy. He went on, "But whether he had been able to save Jimmy or not isn't the source of his honor. The honor came from _trying_. And if Keith was here today, I know he would want all of you to try your best in everything you do. I know he used to tell me, 'If you fall, get up on your ass and go again!"

Everyone in the audience cheered. Some laughed. Some clapped.

"So, if you leave today knowing only one thing, remember that. It's the best advice I've ever been given!" Lucas smiled at this. "Now what I have to do is pass on Keith's legacy. And the way that he lived and eventually died, he deserves to be honored. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves! I will honor him…by living a life worthy of honor! Thank you."


	3. I'll Still Love You

Everyone erupted into applause. Lucas nodded and smiled at the crowd and walked down. Brooke walked towards him, although it was a little hard for her to see where she was going through her tears. They embraced each other. Over Brooke's head, Lucas saw all his friends, pouring their hearts out through their eyes. The sight of his friends crying almost made him cry, but of course, being a boy, he didn't. Brooke held onto Lucas until the applause died down. Then she planted a fat kiss right on his lips, smearing Victoria's Secret kissing gloss all over Lucas's face. They walked back down, where all the women and girls bombarded him with kisses on the cheek. Karen, Peyton, Haley, even Rachel…everyone. Lucas's cheeks were sticky with lipstick and lipgloss, but of course, his favorite flavor would most definitely be the stuff on his lips. He licked it off with satisfaction, and he could have sworn Keith was saying from heaven, "You little horndog." And despite himself, Lucas laughed.

All of Keith's friends were over at Karen's house afterwards. People had been taking turns visiting Karen and Lucas, bringing food, flowers, and helping clean the house. Brooke and Lucas headed to his bedroom. She kicked off her satin black Gucci pumps and flopped down on his bed. He got in right next to her. She sighed as she stared at the ceiling.

"Hey, Brooke."

"Ya?"

"What should I do?"

Brooke turned over on her side and faced Lucas. "About what?"

"Everything. I mean, should I go to Jim's funeral? How am I supposed to get over something like this? Am I supposed to get over it?"

Brooke ran her hands through Lucas's hair. She whispered, "You know, I'm probably not the best person to ask."

Lucas looked at her. He knew what she meant. Sure, Peyton could help him out. But nothing was more comforting than Brooke's soft, beautiful voice. "Will you please just tell me what you think? It's important to _me_."

Brooke smiled. "Well, I think best friends can forgive each other anything." Lucas knew she was referring to her and Peyton, and he found that her mentioning that made him love her even more. She continued. "But forgiveness isn't pardoning what they did. What Jimmy did was wrong on every level, and all the forgiveness in the world doesn't mean that you agree with his actions. It just means…well, I don't really know, actually."

Lucas laughed. Brooke could always make him laugh.

"You know what else is kind of weird? I haven't even cried since Keith died. It feels so strange… but you know, guys don't cry."

"I've seen a guy cry before." Brooke said.

Lucas actually seemed interested. "Really?"

Brooke nodded. "You know I would love you just as much if you did."

Lucas's face tightened.

"Lucas, everybody loved Keith while he was on earth. He was an amazing uncle, brother, fiancé, dad, and friend."

Lucas's face tightened some more. Tears already began to form at the back of his eyes.

"But because of the way he died, everyone will remember him as all of those things, and something else: a hero," Brooke finished with a shaky voice.

Lucas quietly said, "It's just not fair. He was gonna be my dad. He could've been my dad years earlier, but I don't feel cheated of our past. What I feel cheated of is the future we'll never have. He was gonna be my dad!" He choked up, and a solitary tear dripped down his face. Brooke was shocked. "I know, honey. I'm sorry."

That night for the first time, Brooke saw Lucas cry.


	4. Letters of Love

After that night, Brooke and Lucas were especially close. He knew she was there when he needed a shoulder, a safe place, or just an ear to listen to him, and vice versa. School continued. Peyton's leg was starting to get better, but oftentimes, Brooke had to help her around. After Keith's and Jimmy's sudden and unexpected deaths, teachers at Tree Hill High were trying to get the message across that

1: We need to all come together as one school, and ditch cliques. And…

2: Life is too short to waste. Live every day to the fullest.

The guidance counselor, Mrs. Strevels, had everybody write "Letters of Love." What everyone had to do was pretend like they were going to die tomorrow. What would they tell the people they loved? They had to choose at least five people. Mrs. Strevels would not ever see the letters. No one would.

For the first time, many students actually took a school assignment seriously. Even Tim Smith, Nathan's best friend, who was a little handicapped when it came to the sensitivity department, had written heartfelt letters to everybody he loved. Lucas wrote letters to all of his family and friends, and of course, Brooke. He knew that he wasn't going to die anytime soon, but he still felt like it was important to do this.

Her Lucas. His letter would be extra special. Brooke would have to save it for last. When she finally finished his letter, she sealed all of them into separate envelopes, and locking them away under Peyton's bed (She had moved in with Peyton), she realized that this assignment wasn't for school. It was for herself.

Peyton especially was intrigued by this assignment. She found herself wishing for a moment that maybe she actually was gone. Then at least she would be with Ellie and Anna. But then she remembered everyone else…everyone in her life. She couldn't leave them. She loved them too much. But if she ever did have to, what would she write… what would someone write if they knew they were going to die. What would you say to the ones you loved? These were what the Tree Hill High students were thinking of that night. What would you say?


	5. Questions

It was the day of Jimmy's funeral. Brooke and Lucas had decided together that he should go. It was what Keith would have wanted. Lucas, Mouth, Junk, Skillz, and Fergie stood next to Mrs. Edwards the entire service. They didn't leave her side.

Brooke drove over to her and Haley's old apartment to move out the last of her stuff. She was greeted by a giddy Haley who was jumping up and down. "Oh my Gosh! Me and Nathan are getting married again! For real!" Brooke screamed. "EHMAGAWD! Congrats!" Brooke and Haley hugged each other, and then Brooke pecked her on the cheek. "Details! Now!" So Haley told Brooke how Nathan had taken her down to the bridge where they had had their first tutoring session. "So, I told him I couldn't find my ring, and he goes 'It's because I stole it!' And then he just pulled it out and proposed. We're gonna have a real wedding!" Brooke and Haley jumped up and down again. "Where's Nate?" Brooke asked. "He's on the computer." Brooke raced to the bedroom. Nathan had a towel around his waist and no shirt on. That didn't stop Brooke from practically jumping on top of him. "I HEARD THE NEWS!" She yelled. She squeezed Nathan hard, and kissed him on both cheeks. "Congrats, Nate!" Nathan smiled. "Thanks. So you're happy for me?" "Yeah, I am."

And then Brooke remembered something else she must do. Karen's wedding dress material. She now knew what to do with it. But she had to ask Karen first.

Brooke was sitting at Karen's kitchen table. Karen had invited her over for dinner when Brooke had told her there was something she needed to ask her. Karen brought out her delicious vegetarian pasta and all kinds of things to drink. She and Brooke said the blessing (Lucas was at dinner with Jimmy's mom) and dug in.

"So, Karen…I wanted to ask you something about…" Brooke paused.

Karen nodded. "Him?"

Brooke knew what she meant. "Yeah. Are you OK with me asking?"

Karen said. "Yeah! Go ahead."

"Well, it's just, you know how Nathan and Haley are getting married for real now? And I still have your wedding dress?" Brooke's eyes watered at this sentence. So did Karen's. "I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Brooke."

"Would it be OK if Haley wore your dress?"

"OK? I wouldn't have it any other way, Brooke. I know Keith would've been thrilled to hear about this. Please, tell her to wear it."

"Thanks, Karen. You know it'll mean a lot to all of us."

"I know it will."


	6. Author's Note

Hey guys! Thanks to all my ah-mazing reviewers: kclapflow87, Brucas4ever, Chad'sBrucas, CBBabe, Hermione-hermine, AlexCurtis, and brucasfanatic. I just wanted to let you all know that I think you're gonna like the ending. I've got it all planned out now, but sorry, no spoilers…except for this: You're going to like it.


	7. Trust Issues

Lucas arrived back at his house and found Brooke and Karen watching _The Notebook _on the couch. They turned around when they heard him come in. He looked sort of distressed, like he had been thinking about something very hard. He said hi and then asked Brooke if she wanted to go for a walk with him. Brooke looked at Karen. "Go ahead. You two have fun." So they left the house.

They were walking the way they always walked. Brooke didn't have to ask Lucas where they were going, because they always went to the beach and sat up on the pier. They held hands all the way there, but didn't even say a word. Brooke decided to take this as a sign of true love: being able to be together and not say a word. When they reached the pier, he lifted her by the waist and helped her up onto the edge of the wall. He got up there and joined her. They looked out towards the ocean. The waves tumbled and flew. Every once in a while, a giant wave would form and surprise them. Brooke loved how the ocean did this. It reminded her of life. Just like the ocean, it surprised you at the most random times.

"Don't you love the ocean?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah."

"You know, I want to get married on the beach. I want my funeral to be at the beach too. And my children's weddings. And my after-graduation party."

Lucas laughed. "Why don't you just have your whole life at the beach?"

Brooke pretended to think about it. "Hmm…you know, that might not be so bad."

"Well, Brooke, if your wedding is gonna be on the beach, guess what that means?"

Again, Brooke pretended to think seriously about his question. "I don't know," she teased him.

"I think it means that my wedding will be at the beach too!"

"Wow, Luke, you're a genius. I think you're right!"

They playfully grabbed each other's hands and fidgeted as they tried to "twist" the other one's arms. Then, ever so slowly, Lucas leaned in towards Brooke. She leaned towards him too. Their eyes were still locked. Brooke whispered, "I think we really are going to get married." Lucas nodded. "Me too." And then they closed their eyes, and locked their lips. His hands were stroking her hair, and then holding her face up. She held his head with her hands too. Brooke was totally into kissing-and-telling, but this one felt so good she decided to keep it to herself. When they finally let go a minute later, he wrapped an arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they let their feet dangle off the edge of the pier.

Lucas decided he should tell Brooke, now. "Brooke, I asked you to come out here for a reason."

Brooke looked interested. "Really?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah. I've really thought a lot about it, more than you know."

Now Brooke began to look worried. "Lucas, what's going on?"

"Well, all this thinking led me to decide that…"

"What?"

"Well…I think…there is…something I…need to tell you."

Brooke stared hard at Lucas. "What?"

Lucas stopped. He had gone over this so many times in his head. He would tell Brooke that Peyton had kissed him in the library. That it was just a friendship kiss. Nothing she needed to worry about, but he just wanted to tell her because…oh, yeah…he and Peyton had decided together that they should. Just to make sure she was in on the truth. And when she asked what the truth was, he would say, "that I love you."

But none of this came out. Why wasn't it working now? He licked his lips. Wait, what was he supposed to say. Oh, well, gotta start somewhere.

"Umm, Peyton and I kissed."

Brooke flinched backward. "WHAT!"

"Oh, wait, it's not how it sounds. It was just a friendship thing, you know. And I just told you cause…"

All of a sudden he couldn't remember why he was telling her this. If the kiss didn't mean anything, why would it matter if Brooke knew?

"Umm, never mind, I was kidding." _Brilliant_, Lucas.

"OK, WHAT! Tell me what happened!"

"Brooke, calm down. It was in the library. She thought she was about to die. So she just did it to thank me for saving her."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because I tell you everything. Duh."

"Lucas. You are hiding something from me."

Just then Lucas's cell phone rang. "Hello?" It was the doctor. Lucas's phone was loud. Brooke could hear the voice in the background. "_Yes. This is Doctor Roberts. I am just calling to remind you to come in for an appointment tomorrow. It is about your heart condition, and your decision to hide this condition from your parents or legal guardians_." Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Um, yeah I'll be there. Thanks." Lucas hung up quickly.

"Who was that?" Brooke asked.

"Umm, just a friend." Lucas lied.

"I heard something about a heart condition."

Lucas silently cursed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Brooke rolled her eyes. Her voice came out all raggedy. "I can't trust you with anything, can I?"

Lucas began to feel annoyed. "God, Brooke, could you please mind your own damn business?" As soon as he said this, he began to regret it.

Brooke's eyes tightened up, which she always did when she was about to cry. "Fine, I will." And with that, she lowered herself from the edge of the pier and walked as fast as she could off the beach. Lucas wouldn't just let her get away though. He followed her, calling, "Brooke, I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!"

"Yeah, whatever. Nothing you say to me means anything! Only Peyton matters, right?"

"Stop being ridiculous! Peyton has nothing to do with this!" Lucas caught up with her, and began walking alongside her. Brooke sped up her pace.

"Then why do you always bring her up? Can you go an hour not talking about her? We're always talking about something besides us! There's always someone you're more interested in than me!"

"Brooke, what is going on? I'm sorry I said that. I just told you, I didn't mean it. I was just…"

"Just what? Being an ass!"

"Stop it." Now they were already on the sidewalk. Beside them, an occasional car rushed past them. Lucas put his hands out and stopped Brooke. Brooke broke loose from his grip and continued walking on the sidewalk. Lucas got off on the edge of street and tried to stop her. Why was her life like this? Why did something always have to get in the way of her happiness? Why her?

Lucas yelled, "Brooke, please!" Brooke just shook her head and kept going. She wanted to run back to him and fall in his arms. She wanted to tell him this whole argument was stupid, and she was sorry she had started it. She realized she couldn't even remember why they had started arguing in the first place. But backing down was not her nature. She couldn't stop until she had won the fight and Lucas had forfeited. _Why was she like that?_ _Why couldn't she be normal?_

She decided to try. She couldn't be like this the rest of her life. She had to let it go. Let Lucas win for once. She turned around to face Lucas. The rest was a blur.

She saw a car. Racing around. Behind them. Someone was clearly driving drunk. The way Brooke would when she was angry. A teenager was in the driver's seat. They had no control. The same way Brooke felt right now. The car swerved around. She could see where it was going. It was going to hit Lucas. Her body, her head, her heart began moving in slow motion. "Lucas! Move!" He wouldn't. He thought she wanted him to get out of the way. What was she supposed to do? Her mind raced. The car was coming now. Closer. Closer. Closer. Any minute it would come and hit Lucas and her. She jumped out of the way, as a spur-of-the-moment act. She wasn't thinking. Lucas would be OK without her. He always turned out to be OK. Just to be safe. "Lucas, there's a drunk driver behind you. Get out of the way!" Lucas's head turned. But his feet were glued to the ground. He didn't really have time to think. All he thought was, _I guess I'll see Keith again. Dying won't be so bad. But my mom. Brooke! They'll miss me. I can't cause them so much grief._ He tried to jump out of the way, but the car was so close to him. He was going to be hit. His life flashed before his eyes.

Going to kindergarden. Fishing with Keith. Meeting Haley. Meeting Dan, Deb, and Nathan. Meeting Brooke. Getting to know Brooke. Breaking Brooke's heart. Winning her heart back. He began to see more and more images of Brooke. He wouldn't see her again…

**And then, Brooke jumped.**

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-I hope you like how I wrote the cliffhanger. It sort of seemed unrealistic and not well written at first, but I don't know. Please tell me what you think. Do you think you know what's going to happen? Please review! Thanks, readers! You all rock! 


	8. Hold on, Brooke

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Brooke forced out her arms, pushing Lucas as hard as she could. He fell onto the ground a few feet away from the direction of the car, bruising his knee. They had no time. 4 milliseconds later, the car hit Brooke Davis. She fell to the ground, barely breathing. The car twisted off and crashed on the sidewalk. Lucas yelled at the top of lungs, "BROOKE!" and ran over to her, dropping on his knees to take a look at her. As soon as he did this, he had to turn around for a few seconds. The sight of her made him tear up. Her arms and legs were bloody. Her head seemed to be bleeding pretty bad too. She was convulsing from the pain, kicking and breathing strangely. Lucas remembered in the 5th grade in a safety program at school, they had taught him that if he just called 911 and didn't even say anything, they would be able to trace down where he was and come after him. Lucas grabbed his phone and pressed it. 9-1-1 and then placed his phone on the ground.

He winced again, looking at Brooke, but then told himself to move. He had to do something. He put a hand on the ground below Brooke's neck, and slid it up under her head. Then he sat down, cross legged. He lifted Brooke's head onto his lap, ignoring the blood. _Maybe I should say something on the phone_, he thought. _Just in case_.

"Hello? Hello? Hello?" Lucas said. Finally someone replied. "Emergency station. How can I help you?" Lucas let out a deep breath. "Please come help. I'm on Firefox LN, on the sidewalk near the beach." The voice on the other end said. "Can you tell me what happened?" Lucas was exasperated. "My girlfriend. She got hit by a drunk driver." The officer seemed to sense his urgency. "We'll be right there."

He looked into Brooke's eyes. They were still open. "Brooke. Can you talk?"

She weakly replied, "Yeah." Her voice sounded extremely throaty and quiet.

"Help's coming. Can you hold on?"

Brooke's mouth quivered. She saw Lucas's hand on her chest and reached for it. He squeezed her hand tightly. He asked her, "Why did you do that?"

"Do…what?" Her words were slow.

"Brooke, you saved my life. If you hadn't pushed me, I would've died!" Tears streamed down Lucas's face. Brooke held onto his hand tighter.

She said another few hard-to-understand words. "You…do…crazy…things…when you're …in…love. I'm…not mad…at you. I'm…sorry…for yelling…at you." She looked up at Lucas's eyes. "Am I …gonna die?"

Lucas's eyes widened. "NO! You won't! I promise! It'll be OK. After you get better, which will be real soon, we'll come out here on the beach and get married. We'll have all of our friends and family come. You won't wanna miss that, so you've got to hold on. You're not going to die."

Brooke sighed. "I'm tired."

Lucas cried some more. "Hold on, Brooke. Talk to me. Tell me about… what you wanna do after we get married."

Brooke was slowly drifting to sleep, but she fought. She didn't really think about her answer. She just let words flow out of her mouth. "I want…to go…be…famous…model…or designer. And live…in…mansion. Have kids…named Brooke…and Lucas. Be happy." She smiled softly.

Lucas said, "I'll make sure you get all that stuff. I love you Brooke. I'll understand if you don't love me right now, after all of…this. But I just want you to know, I love you."

Brooke smiled again. Her words weren't slow now. She said this clean and clear, but still in a whisper. "I love you too."

Lucas decided to believe her. He removed his hand from her grasp and placed it around her back, sitting her up a little. "Does that hurt?" he asked. "No." she replied weakly. He wanted to do this, just in case. Just in case she didn't make it. Then he silently cursed himself for thinking this. Of course she would make it. There was no blood around her lips. He slowly inched his head closer to hers, and pressed their lips together. They stayed together for a few seconds. He lowered her back down and put her head back in his lap. He grasped her hand again.

"You'll be OK, Brooke."

Brooke decided to believe him.

Thirty-seconds later, the ambulance came.

Forty-seconds later, Brooke closed her eyes.

Fifty-seconds later, Lucas lifted her in his arms and handed her to the emergency workers.

One minute later, they were driving to the emergency room. And Brooke kept on drifting off…farther and farther away.

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OK, guys. Sorry for the major cliff-hanger, but I promise I'll have another chapter up tomorrow. I love your guy's reviews, they actually made me laugh. Keep 'em coming. Also, I want your predictions. Do you think Brooke will be OK or not? Please tell me! Thanks!


	9. Not the End of A Dream

Guys, I'm really sorry about this ending. After getting all these reviews, I really wanted to change it so that you would like it, but I already finished most of the story, and I thought that would kind of ruin the end. But if you like sad stories, then I guess you'll like it. Sorry about getting your hopes up! I hope you still like it anyway! Thanks to all readers.

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Everyone was shocked. Brooke Davis…gone? Forever? She was only seventeen years old! In a couple of months, she would have finished high school. Now she would never get to do that. She and Lucas would never have a storybook fairytale ending, because she was dead. Peyton and Lucas were the first to hear in the hospital. They had both been in denial. Lucas got on his knees and begged the nurse to try again, to save her. Tears welled up in the nurse's eyes. But there was nothing she could do to help him. Peyton had tried to see if she could feel a pulse from Brooke. The doctors must have made a mistake! It couldn't be like this! Peyton had crawled into Brooke's deathbed and had cried herself to sleep next to a lifeless Brooke. Lucas had stayed there too, but he didn't fall asleep. Nathan and Haley came the next morning. Haley cried and cried over Brooke's body, and Nathan stood there, stunned, holding Brooke's hand and trying to see if he could wake her up by squeezing it. All of the cheerleaders and basketball players and Mouth went to go see Brooke. Nobody believed that she was gone. But they would eventually have to.

It was time again, for Lucas to go to another funeral. The third one in one month. He wore the same tuxedo he had worn to Keith and Jimmy's funeral. Brooke was buried in a coffin lined with hot pink silk. That was her favorite color. And Lucas remembered the conversation they had had the night of her death. "_I want my funeral to be at the beach_." Lucas found it cruelly ironic that she had told him this only a couple of days before her funeral. Since she would never get the beach wedding, he made sure to tell her parents that they had to have the funeral at Tree Hill beach.

He had also prepared another eulogy. Even though he didn't show anyone, he had given it a title called, "My Angel in Disguise."

"If Brooke hadn't pushed me out of the way, people would be at my funeral today. Even though the people closest to me have been taken away from me too soon, I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. I am surrounded by angels. Brooke Davis definitely fits my description of a hero. She was beautiful, kind, ambitious, determined, and heroic in every which way. People sometimes wonder how I could get through something like this. Well, here is my answer. My last words to Brooke were I love you, and her last words to me were I love you too. I feel better with the knowledge that she died knowing that I loved her. Everybody here, go home and tell your family and your friends that you love them. They could be your last words. Don't let Brooke down. By joining all people together, regardless of religion, race, creed, appearance, or talent or anything else like that, you'll be passing on the torch that she lit. She had a dream, that one day, all people would get along. This may be the end of a life, but it will _not_ be the end of a dream. The young people of this country will not allow that to happen. And, Brooke, if you can hear me right now, I love you, and we _will _meet again. I promise."

Brooke was buried a few feet away from Keith. The epitaph on her grave, which was in the shape of a cross, read:

**Brooke Penelope Davis. 1989-2006**

**Dear Daughter, Sister, Friend, Hero.**

Her cheerleading uniform was signed by all the seniors at Tree Hill High. Lucas couldn't move on. He knew he would never love anyone as much as he loved Brooke. He dreamt and he lived on what could have been. One day, he was at Peyton's house when she remembered something. "Hey, remember those letters we wrote? After you know what? Mrs. Strevels made us write them." Lucas nodded, not really caring much. "Let's get Brooke's." Lucas looked interested now. "Where are they?" Peyton went a little blank. Then she remembered.

_Flashback_

"_Hey P. Sawyer, who are you writing those letters to?"_

"_Umm, you know, my dad, you, Jake—if he'll ever get to see it, Haley, yeah, just people."_

"_Oh, well, just so you know, I'm working on yours right now!"_

"_Can I read it? Please?"_

"_You can after I'm dead!"_

"_Brooke! Just let me see it!"_

"_No! But I'll tell you where I'm gonna put them. Under my bed, right here. So when I do actually die, you can find them."_

"_But when you're dead, we won't be living here anymore. And besides, how do you know I'm not just going to read it when you're not home?"_

"_I guess I'll just have to trust you."_

_End flashback_

"Peyton? Are you OK?" Lucas asked.

She quickly nodded. "Yeah, just remembering." She got down on her knees and lifted the bed skirt on Brooke's bed. There were countless fashion magazines, some party invitations, and a sealed cardboard box. She pulled out the box and laid it on top of the bed. "I think these are Brooke's letters."

Lucas peered over the side of the bed. "Let's open and see."

Peyton and Lucas looked at each other. They both said a silent prayer, hoping that this was what they were looking for. Then they smiled at each other, and wasting no more time, Peyton ripped open the tape on the box. Inside were decorated envelopes. She carefully took one out of the box. It was cream colored with gilded edges. The center said in Brooke's loopy handwriting:

Mom and Dad

Peyton closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "These are it."

Lucas said, "Well, let's find ours!"

Peyton agreed. They sifted through envelopes with Ravens logos, shopping bags, pink edging, and some more cream ones. Lucas began to fear that maybe Brooke hadn't written him one, when they got to the very back of the collection. The last two were for them. One had a picture of Brooke and Peyton on it. Peyton remembered with fondness when they had gotten those envelopes made in the 6th grade. They used to always use them to pass notes to each other. It said:

_P. Sawyer_

The other had big pink and red hearts all over it, and said I love you in gold letters.

_Broody_

Lucas bit his lip when he saw Brooke's trademark nickname for him. "Peyton?"

"Yeah?"

"I feel like I need to read this alone."

"Me too."

They said goodbye to each other, and Lucas ignored his car. He walked down to the pier at the beach and looked up at the sky. He whispered, "Hi, Brooke." And then, he wasn't sure if he was going crazy or if Brooke really was talking to him. "Hi, Lucas." He decided to go with the second option. "I'm going to read your letter." He heard it again. "OK," Brooke's heavenly voice called down to him.

He slowly opened the envelope, making sure not to rip it too badly. It was the same exact paper she had used to write all his letters over the summer.

Her letter went like this…


	10. The Last Letter

_Dear Lucas,_

_So I guess if I died before you, than you might be reading this. I don't know though. In all the stories I read, the boy always dies first, but whatever. This is just in case, you know? So, everybody's probably like eighty years old now, unless something totally awful happens to me when I'm younger. But if that does happen, I want you to go out with Peyton. I know, I know. You probably think I'm crazy. But seriously, I can't see you with anyone else. But please, please, please whatever you do, do not marry some super gorgeous model who is prettier than me! (Although there are very few people in the world who are actually prettier than me, so that would be hard to find!)_

_I'm almost positive that by now, we've gotten married and had kids. As I'm writing this, obviously, it's only 2006, but trust me, I'm just psychic like that. Take care of Brooke and Lucas Jr. for me. (And any other kids we have.) I don't know how old our kids will be as you're reading this, but if they're old enough to understand, please tell them all about me. The way I looked, the way I acted, the way I loved you more than life itself. Everything._

_If I didn't get a chance to tell you all of this stuff before I died, here it is. People have kind of put a label on me my entire life. They just assume that I'm a snobby brainless slut. Maybe that's why we clicked so well. Because you didn't think of me like that. Remember the first night we met, I was in the backseat of your car naked? You probably thought I was a whore, but then I also remember the first time we _actually _met. Peyton had been drugged by that completely gross college perv, and you stayed up with me the entire night to watch her. That morning, I realized that besides her, I've never felt closer to anyone in my entire life. And I had only talked to you for one night! I guess that's what love at first sight means._

_You probably already know this, but nothing hurt worse in my entire life than realizing that my feelings for you weren't mutual. But it didn't matter. People that are meant to be together always find their way in the end, right? And we did. After all the struggles, the cheating, the pregnancy scare, the Tree Hill runaway, the return, the "Let's be Friends," after your return, the time you saved me from leaving Tree Hill, and the day I finally had to leave Tree Hill. And then there was our "nonexclusive" dating, mine and Chris Keller's fling—we've been through a lot, but it was all worth it. Because the ending was happy._

_At the time I'm writing this, you're going through a lot, with Keith's death and Jimmy's death. I hope that you know that I'm always here for you, just like I was as I'm writing this, through all of our lives, and after my death. I'm still here for you, Lucas, as I watch from heaven. I can't wait till the day I see you again._

_I love you,_

_Brooke Davis_

Lucas's vision was shrouded by the tears forming in his eyes. But he didn't cry. He was a man now, he wasn't a little boy anymore. He just sat there, rereading the letter over and over. He laughed at some parts, and at some parts, he felt himself about to turn into a little boy again. The part about Peyton shocked him, and he had to reread that a few times to make sure he had actually read it right. He went through the entire letter about twenty more times, and then over the course of ten minutes, he had the rest of his life planned. He would do everything the way Brooke wanted. He knew that he couldn't ever meet someone who could replace Brooke. But he also knew that he had to settle down eventually. He was going to get married, not because he wanted to, but because he knew it was what Brooke would have wanted him to do. He didn't want to think about that though. There was one last thing he needed to do.

_Dear Brooke,_

_Obviously, up in heaven, you know what time it is. You know that you are only seventeen right now, but if it true that heaven has no tears or pain, you probably don't know how much it hurts me that you are gone. But you died in the same way Keith did. You died trying to save someone else: me. Thank you, Brooke. You are my hero. _

_Were you serious about me getting together with Peyton? If you were, it's what I'll do. But just so you know, even though Peyton is a great person, I will never love anyone the way I love you. Just so you know, she misses you a lot. Just like we all do._

_I don't know if you get the Tree Hill newspaper in heaven, but did you see the article Mouth wrote about you? He called it "My Angel." That's kind of your nickname now. Remember when you were a devil for Halloween? With a little help from Haley, (OK, maybe a LOT of help) I managed to fix your costume. Now you're an angel with red feathers and a halo. _

_If me moving on from you is really what you want, sorry, you can forget about it. Settling down is one thing, but falling in love with someone else? That's like asking me to shove a knife down my throat. If I do end up with Peyton, I will make sure we will have a baby girl named Brooke. If she turns out half as beautiful as you, I will be happy. I'll make sure Brooke Jr. knows everything about you. Scratch that. I'll tell the whole world about you._

_However long it takes you, when you see him, please say hi to Keith for me. But you were always fast. And plus, with you being a hero and all, I don't think you'll have any trouble at all catching up to Keith._

_I love you forever,_

_Lucas Eugene Scott_

Lucas had spent an entire week before he decided that the letter was perfect. He rewrote it in his neatest handwriting (which still wasn't that neat) on a piece of pink glittery stationary that Peyton had found for him through Brooke's old things. He rolled up the letter into a small glass bottle. Then he drove to the beach. As he walked down the sandy shores, memories of the times he spent with Brooke came spilling back to him. He thought about keeping the letter for himself. But then he thought again. That wouldn't be right. He had to release it, the same way he had to release Brooke. His feet began to get wet. He was at the edge of the water. White foam crawled up nearer him, and he walked closer into the water. Then he looked up.

He began running. He knew where he needed to drop it. The pier! He ran up the wooden stairs, as his flip-flops clanked against the wood. He stopped at the edge of the pier and looked up at the sky. "Brooke," he said softly, "Come get this." He pressed the bottle to his lips, kissing it, and then, letting it go.

As he walked back to his car, he tried to see if the bottle was moving. It was drifting outward, onto the open sea. He didn't really know where it would end up, or if it would sit on top of the ocean for years, never landing anywhere. But it didn't really matter. Somehow he knew Brooke would get the message.

* * *

Wow, I can't believe I'm finished. Thank you so much to everyone who'sread and reviewed, you're the reason I actually finished this story! Ya know, just cause I was like, I can't dissapoint the readers! Gotta write the next chapter ASAP! I hope you liked the story. Please tell me what you thought!

Lots of love,

Sarah


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